Zombie Bites
by Final Phantasy
Summary: A whole year has passed since the war against Gaea, and our favorite son of death has seen some dramatic changes in his life. He is now viewed as a beloved hero who teaches sword fighting to a handful of younger campers who absolutely adore him. Or, that time Nico got a huge hickey, and made up a BS lie to save himself the embarrassment of telling the truth to two young demigods.
1. Tactics

**Author's Note:**

 **Just a little one shot I decided to write c:**

 **Follows and comments are welcomed like Nico at the end of The Blood Of Olympus.**

 **Chapter 1: Tactics**

Ever since the war with Gaea ended, Nico di Angelo had never been happier. He had _friends_. The other campers actually _acknowledged his existence_. But most of all, he wasn't the feared son of Hades who everyone avoided.

The dark haired boy no longer spent countless hours alone, dwelling on his past in his lonely cabin, wondering why no one bothered to communicate with him. Instead of being forced to walk alone, he now had friends to accompany him.

Around this time last year, Nico would have been locked up in his cabin, completely isolated and cut off from the rest of the modern living world. Now, instead of being the terrifying child of death, Nico was known as the beloved hero of the war who taught sword fighting to the younger demigods.

The fifteen year old Italian boy watched as his two students, Alison and Eli, spared against one another. Alison was a ten year old daughter of Apollo and Eli was an eleven year old son of Aphrodite.

Alison lunged forward and knocked the sword out of Eli's hand, winning the match.

"Yes!" the little blonde girl cried.

"Great job, Ali!" Nico cheered.

Eli congratulated Alison before running over towards Nico.

"Nico!" he whined. "Will I ever be as good as Ali? It's not fair, I'm older than her, so I should be better! Right?"

Nico chuckled and ruffled the devious boy's light brown hair.

"That's not exactly how it works, kid," Nico explained. "Ali's been a camper here for almost three years now, so she has a lot more experience. You just got here last month! I promise that in a few months, you'll be able to take on Ali."

"Or maybe not, Pretty Boy," Ali joked, a light giggle escaping her lips.

"Whatever, Miss Sunshine Face!" Eli shrieked.

 _Oh dear gods_ , Nico mumbled to himself. _They remind me a lot off…_

"Hey Nico!" Alison cried, ripping Nico away from his thoughts.

"What is it, shorty?" the chocolate eyed boy asked sweetly.

The short blonde girl quickly approached Nico, grabbed the hem of his black skull shirt, and pulled him down to her level. Her dark blue eyes filled with wonder.

"What is _that_ on your neck?" she asked curiously.

Nico felt a dark blush spill across his face. There was _no way_ he was going to explain to his boyfriend's little sister where _that_ mark came from!

"Yeah!" Eli added. "It looks like a huge bruise! Did someone hurt you?"

The young boy drew his sword and stood before the Italian teenager. Nico snickered at the sight of the eleven year old in over sized Greek armor, a long Celestial bronze sword, and a helmet that was four sizes too big. He had a flashback to his first week at camp, and how much of an idiot he must have looked like.

"It wasn't anything I couldn't handle," Nico replied.

"What do you mean?" Alison questioned, her beautiful blue eyes growing wide.

"Well, you guys know that I'm a child of Hades, right?"

The two kids nodded eagerly as Nico desperately tried to come up with an interesting lie.

"Well!" he yelled dramatically, opening the ground with his left hand and pulling out his Stygian iron sword with his right. Three zombies rose from the Underworld, surrounding the Ghost King and peaking the interest of Ali and Eli.

" _Cool_ ," Eli whispered.

"I was in the Underworld one day, and a group of zombies started attacking me!" he continued, decapitating a zombie in the process. Nico darted forward and stabbed another zombie in the heart, leaving only one left.

"As we were fighting," Nico explained, slashing his sword fiercely and striking the zombie across the chest with the butt of his sword. "I got bit by one of the zombies!"

Nico lunged forward one last time and stabbed the zombie in its throat, turning the monster into gold dust and sending it back to the Underworld.

"That was awesome!" Alison exclaimed.

"I wanna learn how to fight like that!" Eli hollered, waving his sword in the air.

"I promise I'll teach _both_ of you how to fight like that, as long as you don't tell Will what you just saw! According to his doctor's orders, I'm not allowed to summon a wishbone right now, let alone a group of zombies!"

"Okay, Nicky," Alison giggled happily.

"You and Will like each other a lot," Eli remarked dreamily. "I think my mom wants your relationship to be really special, like Achilles and Patroclus."

Nico grinned from ear to ear, happy that he had his favorite son of Aphrodite's blessing.

"So," Ali stated, circling Nico like a hawk. "That mark you have is from a zombie?"

"Yup," Nico said confidently.

"Awesome!" she chirped. "I have to go tell Santana!"

"Wait, Ali!"

Nico tried to call after the young girl, but she and Eli were already racing away from the arena to look for the ten year old daughter of Hecate.

After the war with Gaea, all the gods and goddesses began leading all of his or her children to Camp Half-Blood. As a result of that, a bunch of younger campers were popping up all over the county, the youngest being a four year old daughter of Tyche named Marina.

 _Oh well_ , Nico told himself. _They're only going to tell one other kid. It's not a big deal._

And with that, the son of Hades made his way to the dining pavilion, completely unaware of the chaos that was soon to come.

He sat down at the hero's table with Percy, Annabeth, Piper, Jason, Leo, and Calypso.

"Neeks!" Percy and Jason screamed in unison.

Nico rolled his eyes at the endearing nickname.

"Has anyone seen Will?" he asked, his beautiful dark eyes scanning the surrounding area for any sign of his boyfriend.

"Not since this morning," Annabeth answered.

"Here comes the sun," Leo sang softly, wiggling his eyebrows ridiculously. Calypso smacked his shoulder while Piper and Jason snorted.

It was at that moment Will snuck up behind the dark haired boy, wrapped his arms around his thin waist, and sat down next to him.

Nico stomped on his foot and Will winced.

"What are you doing?" Will asked, pain evident in his musical voice.

"I'm walking on sunshine," Nico deadpanned seriously.

The table erupted into a roar of laughter and Leo was banging his hands against the table.

"Classic, classic," Leo gasped between breaths.

Will opened his mouth to protest, but nine year old Zack (Annabeth's half brother) and eight year old Taylor (daughter of Ares) stormed up to the hero's table with looks of bewilderment plastered across their faces.

Both of the children took sword fighting lessons with Nico, and they absolutely adored him, like all the other younger campers did. Some of the girls (and even a few of the boys) would never admit it, but they had crushes on the son of Hades.

"Nico!" Zack beamed brightly. "Is it true you got a cool bite on your neck because you fought a zombie?"

All the color drained from Nico's face. Percy was as oblivious as ever, Piper and Annabeth were smirking, Jason was shooting Will a death glare, Calypso had no idea what was going on, and Leo was laughing like a maniac.

"Is that true, Nico?" Jason asked in his big brother tone.

 _Dammit_ , Nico chided.

He smiled down at Taylor and Zack.

"It's true," he affirmed.

The two kids squealed and ran away, probably to confirm the rumor that was circulating around camp among the younger demigods.

"A zombie bite, huh?" Piper chuckled.

"I don't get it," Percy said dumbly.

Before Nico could jump away, Jason reached across the table and shoved the hair off of Nico's neck. On the left side, right below his ear, was the supposed zombie bite. It took up most of his neck and was a dark purple color.

"J _ason_!" Nico hissed.

"Holy Hera!" Percy cried. "That was one aggressive zombie!"

Annabeth pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed deeply.

"It's not a zombie bite, Seaweed Brain!" she clarified. "It's a hickey!"

"Oh. Ohhh. _Ohhhh_ ," Percy said.

Nico's face turned red from embarrassment.

"That's it," Jason sighed. "I tried to be a reasonable big bro, but this is where I gotta put my foot down. Nico, Will, you guys can't be alone in a cabin anymore. If you guys wanna hang out past eight o'clock, one of us has to be there with you."

"Jason!" Nico complained. "I'm not a little kid, I can take care of myself! And I do not need your permission on when I can and can not see my boyfriend!"

"Nico's ri-"

"Silence, zombie!" Jason interrupted.

Leo fell to the ground in a fit of laughter and even Annabeth couldn't control herself anymore. Calypso cracked a smile as Piper fanned her face.

"Hey, zombie," Piper called. "Could you pass me a napkin?"

"Me too, zombie?" Annabeth asked sweetly.

"You guys are _sooo_ annoying!" Nico groaned, slamming his head against the table.

"Great," Will said. "You broke my boyfriend."

"If you keep touching him like that, he won't be your boyfriend for long," Jason remarked.

"Shut up, Grace!" Nico screamed, his voice muffled. "You _swear_ like you're my father!"

"Someone has to look out for you!" Jason countered.

Nico stood up, grabbed Will's hand, and dragged the son of Apollo away towards the Hades Cabin.

"Jason," Piper charmspoke. "Leave them alone. I know you're only trying to protect Nico, but Will really does like him. Just leave it alone, okay?"

The son of Jupiter grumbled and reluctantly sat back down next to the Native American girl.

 _~Page Break~_

"I am so, _so_ sorry about them," Nico said.

The short boy threw himself onto his bed, unable to meet Will's gaze. The son of Apollo laughed and plopped himself next to his boyfriend.

"Don't worry, I don't mind at all," Will explained. "Jason's just trying to protect you, and I totally understand that."

"But I don't need his protection!" Nico protested.

"Then what do you need, angel?" Will asked softly.

Nico blushed and felt skeletal butterflies bash around in his stomach.

"Another zombie bit would be nice," he whispered.

Will wrapped his arms around Nico's thin pale waist and brought him closer. Nico lied flat on his back as Will glided above him, his soft pink lips running along Nico's neck.

 _This is going to be a fun night_ , Nico smirked to himself.

 **The End**

 **Haha, that ending was such a tease x'D**

 **Sidenote: Does anyone watch Death Note, AKA the anime that's taken over my life? I've been considering making a PJO/HoO/Death Note fanfic, but I want to know if anyone would be interested.**


	2. Confession

**AN: Well, so much for this being a one shot x'D Sorry, I just couldn't help myself!**

 **TBH, I feel a strong connection between Eli and Nico, and I hope guys guys do too. This is personally one of my favorite things I've posted in a really long time.**

 **Next chapter will be dealing with Will and Nico addressing their relationship. The one after that will focus on Nico and Ali.**

 **Ahhh, I just love big brother Nico cx Also, reviews, follows, and favorites are greatly appreciated c:**

 **Chapter 2: Confession**

It had been a whole week since the whole "zombie" incident, and (most) of the gossip had finally come to a halt. Except for the Aphrodite Cabin, of course.

Ever since the goddess of love and beauty started claiming all her offspring, the cabin had become flooded with children and teenagers of all ages. It didn't help that most of her kids were under the age of thirteen. Aphrodite was a very… _Busy_ immortal woman.

Nico pushed the whole situation to the back of his mind and made his way towards the sword fighting arena. Ever since the son of death's battle with zombies, Eli has been begging Nico to train him privately.

 _"I want to be just like you when I grow up!" Eli exclaimed loudly. "I'll practice every day and train extra hard if it means I get to be like you!"_

 _Nico felt like someone had just pulled his frozen heart out, only to shove it back into his broken chest and jump start the bruised bastard back to life._

 _The pale teenager looked down at the kaleidoscope eyed eleven year old and saw something that made his breath hitch and his blood run cold._

 _The look in his eyes… Nico knew that look._

 _It was the same look he would only direct at Bianca all those years ago, before she joined the Hunt and lost her life on a quest to rescue the moon goddess. After all these years, he still hadn't forgiven her for abandoning him. And for what, exactly? The chance to have a sense of belonging? A complete family? He still did not understand, and he never would._

 _Now, four years later, Eli looked up at him with the same bright joyful eyes. They shone with admiration and radiated a sense of hope and dignity. Nico never, ever, wanted to strip the young boy of that feeling. He knew from personal experience how devastating it was to have your own hero rip away all perception of your own perfect reality._

 _In a twisted way, the son of Hades felt like Eli was his second chance at having a proper sibling relationship. Nico had Hazel, and he loved her with all his heart, but with Eli he could mend his shattered life in a way he could not do with the daughter of Pluto. He would care for the boy like a younger brother and never forget about him._

 _The son of Aphrodite came from a broken home, much like Nico. His godly parent obviously didn't have time to take care of him, and his father had gone from a successful business man to an abusive burnout after the goddess disappeared from his life._

 _Eli lived with his father's abuse for eleven years until CPS finally became involved. He and his younger half sister, Christine, were taken to separate foster homes. He hadn't seen her since that dreadful day three months ago._

 _The eleven year old spent two months living on the streets of Miami. Eli had ran away from his foster home within a week, already knowing he was just a paycheck to them._

 _Since Eli is a son of Aphrodite, his scent was not as strong as other demigods. When a satyr named Jonah finally found the young boy, he took him to Camp Half-Blood, and he's been attached to Nico since the day they met._

 _"You want to be just like me?" Nico repeated in disbelief._

 _Eli nodded his head eagerly, raising his sword into the air._

 _"Yes!" he cried. "You're the nicest, bravest, most caring demigod I've ever met! You were the first person at camp to notice me!"_

 _Nico's eyes grew wide. The poor, attention starved boy really wanted to be like him? In all honesty, the Italian boy was flattered._

 _"If you want to be just like me," Nico started quietly. "You have to keep your defenses up!"_

 _He lunged at the boy with a Celestial bronze sword (not his normal one, he didn't want to accidentally stab his sparring partner and send him to the Underworld), and sliced left and right._

 _They practiced until the sun went down._

Nico smiled at the memory as he approached the sparring arena. He spotted Eli sitting beneath a pine tree, his sword at his side, and his helmet and armor nowhere in sight.

"Hey, kid," Nico called.

Eli looked up from the ground and shot Nico a sad look. The son of death flopped down next to the younger boy, raising his left eyebrow in a questioning manner.

"What's wrong?" Nico questioned.

Eli let out a deep sigh and rolled onto his back.

"Girls are so stupid!" he shouted.

A small smile played at Nico's lips. Despite Eli's clear frustration, the pale boy found the whole situation rather humorous.

 _I wonder if this is how Jason and Percy feel around me,_ Nico noted.

"Yeah, girls are pretty stupid," Nico agreed. "That's why I prefer to spend my time with Will."

The son of Aphrodite chuckled lightly. Nico was happy the eleven year old was finally smiling.

"So, what happened with Alison?" Nico inquired.

Eli rose from the ground and gave his mentor a startled look. His cheeks were burning red and his lips were pursed.

"How did you know I was talking about Ali!" Eli demanded.

Nico laughed and wrapped his arm around Eli's shoulder.

"Because I'm not blind, kid. With the way you guys are constantly at each other's throats, you would have to be an idiot, or Percy, to not realize you like one another."

Eli hung his head in shame, suddenly unable to meet Nico's knowing gaze.

"Hey, cheer up," Nico stated. "You guys aren't even teenagers yet, so don't worry about feelings and relationships. It's no use. Enjoy your freedom while you can. When you get older, you'll understand matters of the heart more clearly."

"I _already_ understand," Eli replied.

"What do you mean?" Nico pushed.

Eli sighed, brushed a lock of light brown hair behind his ear, and crossed his arms in frustration.

"You're going to think I'm crazy."

"Try me."

"Well, when I look at people, I _see_ things. I don't know how to explain it, but I can feel their energy. If someone's relationship is meant to last, they'll cast a pink glow. If they're on the verge of breaking up, I'll see a dark blue shade surrounding them. If two people are about to get together, I'll see yellow. When I see Ali… I see a pink glow, like we're meant to be together."

Nico's mouth hung open in shock. There were a million questions he wanted to ask Eli, but he couldn't form a single word.

"Dear gods, Eli, that's amazing. A true blessing from your mother, Aphrodite."

Eli sneered and rolled his eyes. Nico gave him a pointed look, and the younger boy shook his head and looked up at the sky.

"Sometimes, it feels more like a curse," he admitted. "Imagine seeing two people who are 'so in love,' and they're convinced they're going to get married and all that lovey stuff. I feel like a jerk, because I can literally _see_ it's not going to last! But can I say anything? No, because then I'll be made out to be the bad guy!"

"I may not know the exact feeling," Nico started. "But I know what it's like to be ashamed of your godly powers. You feel like a monster, because no matter how hard you try, your powers are always going to be there. They won't go away."

"How did you get over feeling like a monster?" Eli whispered so silently, Nico almost didn't hear him at all. "Love and death aren't that different. They're both scary, and they both hurt just as bad. Whenever I see a couple about to break each other's heart, I feel like a monster because I'm viewing the downfall of their relationship without warning them."

"Your eyes," Nico commented, putting the pieces together. "No wonder they're so different."

A single tear dripped down Eli's cheek. He wiped it away quickly, hoping the son of Hades hadn't seen, but it was already too late.

"To answer your question," Nico said in a reassuring voice. "I got over feeling like a monster by accepting the fact that I'm different. This is me, and I'm never going to change, so I might as well love myself. Plus, I have Will to help me stay sane."

"I really hope Ali will be my Will someday."

"If what you're telling me is accurate, I'm sure someday she will be, kid. Just give her some time to figure it out by herself first."

"I can also feel heartache," Eli whispered. "When I was under my father's care, I felt his heart break everyday. Whenever he brought a new girlfriend home and said 'she's the one,' I would cry because I knew… I knew that she wasn't."

More tears rushed down Eli's face, but this time he didn't try to hide it. Loud sobs escaped his throat and he brought his knees up to his chest, a curtain of pretty soft hair covering his broken face.

"I'm an awful person!" Eli cried.

Nico embraced the younger boy in a hug. Eli buried his face into Nico's shoulder, his tears seeping through the Italian teenager's black shirt. Right now, Nico couldn't care less.

"When I look at you and Will," Eli hiccuped. "I don't see a blue light or a pink light!"

A frown quickly etched itself onto Nico's face. His grip on Eli loosened, but he didn't let go. Nico felt like screaming, but he knew it would only make Eli feel like a monster.

"When I look at you guys," Eli continued. "I see a really bright red glow. I've-I've never seen it before… I have no idea what it means."

Nico nodded his head slowly, unable to speak.

"You hate me now, don't you?" Eli sniffled. "By telling you what I saw, I pushed you away. Now you're going to resent me just like my father, just like everyone else!"

"I could never hate or resent you!" Nico countered.

"Don't you dare lie to me!" Eli wailed. "I can feel your heartache!"

Nico pushed his dark hair out of his eyes and bit his bottom lip.

"I'll admit that yes, I am now worried about my relationship with Will, but I could _never_ hate you. You're the little brother I've always wanted, Eli. I love you."

The son of Aphrodite's face softened. He allowed Nico to pull him back into a hug and sweep away the remainder of his tears.

"You're lucky I can also tell the truth when people are speaking about love," Eli smiled.

A few minutes of silence followed, but the quiet essence surrounding the two campers was refreshing and peaceful.

"Do you love Will?" Eli asked, breaking calm the silence.

Nico's heart did a little gymnastics routine at the mention of his beautiful boyfriend.

"I do," Nico responded instantly, a fond smile on his face. "I love him with everything I am."

"Your relationship really does feel special, you know," Eli determined. "When I first saw you two together, your energy overwhelmed me so much I thought I was going to pass out. Your light may not be light pink, but maybe that's not a bad thing."

"Yeah," Nico whispered. "Maybe."

The two campers talked for a while longer, comforting and reassuring one another.

"I have to go, kid," Nico said. "I need to go talk to Will."

Eli shot him a thin smile and nodded his head in understanding.

"Just remember that he loves you."

Halfway across the sparring arena, Nico turned back and called after Eli.

"Hey, kid!" he hollered.

Eli spun around and gave Nico a curious glance.

"About what you said earlier, how love and death are the same. You were completely right. In Croatia, I ran into your half brother Eros, and he told me the exact same thing. Except, sometimes death is kinder than love."

With that, Nico turned around and headed towards the Apollo Cabin, leaving an empty Eli in the sparring arena alone.

 _If only everyone else could feel my pain like I feel there's._


	3. Love and Death

**Chapter 3: Love and Death**

Nico felt like he was going to be sick. As the son of death walked towards the camp's infirmary, his boyfriend's own personal "hospital," he was convinced he would pass out before he even got there.

As Nico trudged through the seemingly endless fields, his legs grew heavier and heavier each step he took. His legs felt like they weighed a whole Tyson! His heart was pounding uncontrollably, like a monster trying to break down the Doors of Death.

Nico's chocolate brown eyes fluttered shut, only to snap open seconds later, and painfully close once more.

 _What the Hades is going on with me?_

By the time he finally reached the infirmary, the son of death was limping and struggling to keep his hollow eyes open. His face, which had regained its olive tint over the past year, was now gaunt and ghostly pale.

With all the strength he had left, Nico opened the big sun doors to the infirmary and passed out on the floor.

 _~Page Break~_

"Angel?" a soft voice echoed around him. "Baby, can you hear me?"

 _I'm fine,_ Nico wanted to say, but the words wouldn't come out.

"Nico, _answer_ me," the voice pleaded. "Please, if you can hear me, just-just do something!"

The son of Hades remained motionless on the soft bed, able to hear every word the voice screamed and begged, but unable to respond.

"Please," the voice choked. " _I love you._ You're going to be okay, I promise!"

 _Will._

Silence filled the room. The only sounds Nico could hear were Will's terrified cries.

The dark haired boy wanted nothing more than to sit up and pull his beautiful boyfriend into a tight hug. He wanted to run his lips against his jaw, pull his hair, bite on his ear, do _anything_ to show his sunshine that he was okay and still alive.

"I've failed you," Will whispered.

 _NO!_ Nico screamed in his mind.

Sadly, the son of Apollo didn't hear a thing.

Nico felt warm drops splash across his cheeks. For a moment, he thought he had begun to cry, but then he realized Will's tears were spilling from his eyes and onto Nico's face. The son of Hades felt his heart break.

Warm fingers laced against his own, heat and kindness radiating into his deadly cold skin.

"Oh gods," Will sniffled. "You're freezing, Nico. You're as cold as a corpse."

The blonde haired boy wailed in agony, cursing and screaming, accusing the gods of being cruel heartbreakers. He held onto Nico's hands tighter, refusing to let go.

 _Am I dying?_ Nico wondered. _Is this what death truly feels like?_

The idea of leaving Will alone in this awful world sounded like a fate worse than death.

 _Love and death aren't that different,_ Eli had told him. _They're both scary, and they both hurt just as bad._

Right now, Nico couldn't agree more.

The resemblance between the two shook the son of death to his very core. If he died, he would leave this world and journey to the Underworld for a new beginning. But what would Will do when he was gone? The son of Apollo would suffer alone on this planet with a broken heart. Even though he was not the one who died, he might as well have. There would be nothing left for him, only a devastating reminder of what could have been. Of what _should_ have been.

"I can't lose you," Will whimpered weakly. "You're my best friend. You're the only person who laughs at my stupid jokes. If you leave, who will be my worthy Mario Kart partner?"

Nico wanted to laugh and call his boyfriend a huge dork, but he still couldn't speak. It was a bittersweet moment.

"If you can hear me," the blue eyed boy squeaked. "Know that I love you more than anything. I love you so, _so_ much, Nico."

The dark haired boy felt a soft pair of lips brush against his forehead.

"You guys are so _cute_!" a female's voice squealed.

Nico wanted to scream at the girl, whoever the Hades she was, to _go away._ Right here with Will, it was a moment for them and them alone. It _wasn't_ meant to be seen by prying eyes.

The girl's footsteps approached Nico's bed. Her footsteps were light and graceful. The sound her high heels made as they tapped against the marble floor was musical.

On his forehead, where WIll's soft lips had been seconds before, were now a pair of even softer, caring, almost fragile hands.

"Wake, my child," the woman demanded. "Open your eyes. Let the sun cast away your shadows. Breath. Awaken."

Nico's eyes slowly opened, the light in the room blinding him. He coughed violently, as if his lungs couldn't get enough air.

"Baby!" Will cried.

He launched himself into Nico's arms, knocking the younger boy back onto the bed. Will buried himself into Nico's neck as tears of joy and relief streamed down his face. The son of Apollo tangled his hands in the shorter boy's raven hair.

"I thought I lost you," Will said, his voice broken and afraid. "I thought you were never going to wake up."

Nico pulled Will a little closer and placed soft kisses all along his jaw and cheeks, just like he had promised.

"I love you too," Nico whispered against his lips.

Will's eyes grew brighter than the sun. He leaned in and placed his pretty pink lips against Nico's, engulfing the younger boy in a loving kiss. They melted into each other, and Nico was content with staying that way forever, until the girl coughed beside them.

Nico pulled away from Will quickly, an embarrassed blush now seeping across his cheeks.

"Sorry," was all Nico could manage to say.

"Oh, don't be sorry sweetie!" the woman chirped. "I'm Aphrodite! Seeing two people in love is what I live for! Well, I'm immortal, but you know what I mean!"

Nico's eyes grew wide as he scanned the woman up and down. She was currently modeling a gorgeous red silk dress, matching red high heels, a golden necklace encrusted with diamonds, and beautiful dove earrings. Her long dark brown hair was braided down her right shoulder and styled perfectly. Aphrodite's dark blue eyes shined with love and beauty.

"Lady Aphrodite," Will said, bowing his head in respect to the love goddess. "T-Thank you for everything you've done."

The goddess flashed Will a gorgeous smile filled with understanding.

"It was no trouble at all, my darling," Aphrodite replied.

"What was wrong with me?" Nico said dumbly.

Aphrodite looked at Nico, a look of longing and sadness replacing her previously happy expression.

"Nico di Angelo," she addressed him. Nico sat up straight, the powerful charmspeak in her voice urging him to pay attention. "You spoke with my son, correct? Elijah Nolan?"

The son of death only nodded his head, his voice abandoning him.

A small smile formed on Aphrodite's face at the memory of her son.

"Thank you for taking care of my baby and being his friend. Elijah has always had trouble making friends with others, for obvious reasons. He's a very special boy," she beamed. "As you have learned, he has the ability to sense love and relationships."

"He does?" Will chimed in.

Aphrodite turned towards Will and explained Eli's abilities.

"That's amazing," Will remarked.

The beautiful woman gave Will a pitiful look, and he wondered if he had said something to offend her.

"It can be an amazing gift, but for most heroes, it is nothing but a burden."

"How can a gift as lovely as seeing true love be a burden?" Will wondered aloud.

"Because it can make you feel like a monster," Nico added. He recounted Eli's thoughts word by word, explaining the pain he felt whenever he saw someone's heart about to be broken, but not being able to do anything about it.

"It also comes with a price," Aphrodite sighed. "Those who possess this gift can feel the heartache of others. Love, while bringing the most beauty, can also bring about the most pain."

A single tear flowed down Aphrodite's cheek. Nico and Will were both shocked.

"There was once a girl who was blessed with this power," the goddess stated. "She spent the first few years of her life believing she would never find true love. One day, she proved herself wrong, and found the man she was meant to be with."

The goddess paused, her breath hitching in her throat. A weak smile made its way onto her pretty face. Nico had never seen so much beauty from pain.

"Anyway, she was convinced they would last forever. They did cast a red glow, afterall."

More tears rushed down her perfect cheeks, but the goddess' makeup remained flawless and in tact.

 _She's even pretty when she cries,_ Will thought to himself.

"They were happy for a long time," Aphrodite continued after she had regained her composure. "Even _I_ was sure they were destined to get married. Sadly, a hero's fate is never that simple. The boy died protecting the girl, and she was never the same afterwards. She died less than a year later. Not out of heartbreak or natural causes, but by avenging the boy's death and protecting those she cared about the most. She… She was a _true_ hero."

"The girl you speak of," Will intervened softly. "Was she-"

Aphrodite raised her perfectly manicured hands in the air, urging Will to stop.

"Enough, young half-blood," Aphrodite said calmly. "Back to the point. You spoke to my son, and he revealed your colors before you yourself realized what they meant."

"Our colors?" Will questioned from beside Nico.

"Our colors," Nico repeated. "Instead of casting a pink or blue glow, we cast a red one."

"W-What does the color red mean?" Will asked quietly.

"Do not worry, son of Apollo," Aphrodite sang.

The charmspeak in her voice calmed Will down instantly.

"Red is an extremely rare color," she purred. "It takes two lovers _centuries_ to become true soulmates."

"Soulmates?" Nico said.

"Yes, soulmates," Aphrodite responded. "The color red represents soulmates. Like I said before, it takes a few centuries to achieve the highest status of love, and only a handful of lovers reach this stage every hundred years."

Will grabbed Nico's hand and traced his palm with his thumb. It was a sweet and comforting gesture that made Nico's heart spin.

"So that's why Nico got sick?" Will asked.

"Exactly," the goddess voiced. "If you don't mind me asking, it felt like you were having a heart attack, didn't it?"

"Now that I think about it, yes," Nico replied honestly.

"Even though you were not aware of the color red's meaning, you were aware of its existence. You should have died."

 _Story of my life,_ Nico mumbled to himself.

Will's grip on Nico's hand got a little bit tighter.

"I knew he was dying," Will whispered beneath his breath. His blue eyes focused on the love goddess. "Thank you for bringing him back, Lady Aphrodite."

"This boy has cheated death many times. I couldn't just sit back and watch two soulmates lose each other. As you both know, love and death are both equally as painful."

"Thank you," Nico told her. "For everything."

Despite popular belief, Aphrodite was actually one of the more decent immortals.

"Do not thank me yet. Soulmates are a very rare occurrence, but when two _demigods_ are soulmates, it is a nearly impossible occurrence! These kinds of love stories usually end in tragedy. For example, look at Achilles and Patroclus and the couple I spoke about before... Or even King Minos and Pasiphae! All three stories, while all beautiful and intoxicating in their own way, ended in death and tragedy."

Nico shivered at the mention of King Minos. The mad king had taught him how to use his powers, but tried to mold the younger boy into an insane monster. Eventually, Nico broke free from his control, but the memories still haunted him.

"Well," Will said. "Nico and I don't intend to follow in their footsteps. Maybe we'll get a happy ending?"

Aphrodite giggled and flipped her braid behind her shoulder.

"Trust me, I have a very _interesting_ love story for the both of you! With time, you will come to learn what I am speaking off."

Thundered roared in the distance. The love goddess sighed and rolled her eyes.

"I get it, Lighting Face!"

She gave the two boys one last perfect smile.

"I must go now," she said.

Aphrodite took Nico's hand in her left and Will's hand in her right. She sang a beautiful hymn in ancient Greek. The air around them turned warm and the room seemed a little brighter. The scent of roses and sweet perfume flooded around them.

"You now have my blessing," the goddess smiled.

She let go of the boy's hands and disappeared in a haze of pink smoke.

 **End of another chapter!**

 **Haha I made this chapter super cheesy and I regret nothing :b**

 **Wow, I never expected to go this far with this story, but I just can't stop writing it! Can anyone guess which couple Aphrodite was referring to in this chapter?**

 **Also, I'm kind of stumped on what to do next, so if you have any suggestions over what you want to happen in this story, feel free to let me know.**

 **~The OG Judicorn**


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